Sen. Cohen and Rep. Lemar Join Road Safety Advocates to Share Support for Lowering BAC Levels to .05 in Connecticut
HARTFORD, CT - On May 18, 2023, Chairs of the Transportation Committee, State Senator Christine Cohen(D-Guilford) and State Representative Roland Lemar(D-New Haven), along with Ranking Members State Senator Tony Hwang(R-Fairfield) and State Representative Kathy Kennedy(R-119) joined representatives from the Connecticut Department of Transportation, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) to share their support for lowering Connecticut’s BAC limit to .05 for drivers. Currently, the legal BAC limit for drivers is .08 and Connecticut ranks third nationally in fatalities due to impaired driving. Driving while impaired is the largest single contributor to road fatalities with 46% of all Connecticut traffic fatalities involving a driver with at least a BAC of .01. Studies indicate that drivers with a BAC of .08 show considerable impairment, and the risk of being killed for drivers between .05 and .79 is 7 times that of drivers with no alcohol (NIH/NIAAA, Voas) As of 2023 there are more than 90 countries with a .05 BAC limit. Connecticut, Hawaii, Washington, Oregon, New York and North Carolina have proposed bills to lower the limit to .05. If passed, Connecticut would join Utah who reduced their BAC limit to .05 in 2018. Once passed, Utah saw a 19.8% reduction in the fatal crash rate reduction from 2016- 2019, while the rest of the United States showed a 5.6% fatal crash rate reduction during the same years.
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